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United States Patent |
6,032,693
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March 7, 2000
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Solenoid valve assembly for controlling gas supply
Abstract
A solenoid valve assembly for controlling gas supply includes a lower cover
formed with a first chamber at an end thereof, a second chamber located
adjacent to and communicating with the first chamber, a third chamber
located adjacent to the second chamber, a fourth chamber located adjacent
to and communicating with the third chamber, and a fifth chamber located
at another end thereof and communicating with the fourth chamber, a base
plate fixedly mounted on a bottom of the lower cover, a diaphragm mounted
between the base and the bottom of the lower cover, a spring arranged
between the base plate and the diaphragm, an upper cover formed with a
first cavity at an end thereof, a second cavity at an intermediate portion
thereof and a third cavity at another end thereof, whereby the solenoid
valve assembly can be used for controlling for controlling gas supply to a
main and an auxiliary burners as desired.
Inventors:
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Home; William (9 th Fl/3, No. 374, Sec. 2, Pa-Teh Rd., Taipei, TW)
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Appl. No.:
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887168 |
Filed:
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July 1, 1997 |
Current U.S. Class: |
137/870; 137/878 |
Intern'l Class: |
F16K 031/04 |
Field of Search: |
137/870,878,883
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References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
2905189 | Sep., 1959 | Matthews | 137/870.
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5353828 | Oct., 1994 | Troscinski | 137/870.
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Primary Examiner: Fox; John
Claims
I claim:
1. A solenoid valve assembly for controlling gas supply comprising:
a lower cover formed with a first chamber at an end thereof, a second
chamber located adjacent to and communicating with said first chamber, a
third chamber located adjacent to said second chamber, a fourth chamber
located adjacent to and communicating with said third chamber, and a fifth
chamber located at another end thereof and communicating with said fourth
chamber, said first chamber being a horizontal passage having an inlet for
connecting a gas supply and communicating with said second chamber which
is open at a bottom thereof, said third chamber being a vertical passage
which is blind at a top and open at a bottom thereof, an upper portion of
said third chamber communicating with said fourth chamber which is a
horizontal passage, said fourth chamber communicating with said fifth
chamber which has a larger diameter than said fourth chamber, said fifth
chamber being adapted to be connected to a main burner;
a base plate fixedly mounted on a bottom of said lower cover;
a diaphragm mounted between said base and a bottom of said lower cover;
a spring arranged between said base plate and said diaphragm thereby urging
said diaphragm to go upwardly to close the bottom of said second and third
chambers of said lower cover;
an upper cover formed with a first cavity at an end thereof, a second
cavity at an intermediate portion thereof and a third cavity at another
end thereof, a top of said upper cover having a first passage adapted to
be connected to a pilot burner and a second passage adapted to be
connected to a regulator, said first passage communicating with an upper
portion of said first cavity and provided with an adjust screw for
controlling flow rate of gas to said pilot burner, a first solenoid fitted
in an upper portion of said first cavity, a first lever being pivotally
mounted within said first cavity and having a first and second ends right
under said first solenoid and said first passage respectively, a first
tension spring having an upper end connected with a first end of said
first lever and a lower end connected with a lower portion of said first
cavity, said first cavity communicating with said first chamber via an
orifice, said second passage communicating with an upper portion of said
second cavity, said second passage being provided with an adjust screw at
a top thereof for controlling gas flow rate, said second passage having a
branch passage in communication with said fourth chamber, an upper portion
of said second cavity communicating with an upper end of a vent passage, a
lower end of said vent communicating with said second chamber, said second
cavity communicating with a space formed between said base plate and said
diaphragm, a second solenoid being fitted in an upper portion of said
second cavity, a second lever being pivotally mounted within said second
cavity and having a first and second ends right under an upper end of said
vent and an inlet of the second passage respectively, a third solenoid
being fitted in an upper portion of said second cavity and above the first
end of said second lever, a second tension spring having an upper end with
the first end of said first lever and a lower end with a lower portion of
said second cavity, said third cavity communicating with said fourth and
fifth chambers and having an upwardly extending through hole, an upper end
of said upwardly extending through hole being adapted to engage with an
auxiliary burner, a third solenoid fitted in an upper portion of said
third cavity, a third lever pivotally mounted within said third cavity and
having a first end under a lower end of said through hole and said third
solenoid, a third tension spring having an upper end connected with said
first end of said second lever 462 and a lower end with a lower portion of
said first cavity.
2. The solenoid valve assembly for controlling gas supply as claimed in
claim 1, further comprising a nozzle fitted in an outlet of said fourth
chamber of said lower cover.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to a solenoid valve assembly for controlling gas
supply and in particular to one for controlling gas supply to a main
burner and an auxiliary burner.
2. Description of the Invention
It has been found that the conventional gas burner is ignited by depressing
and holding a button until the thermocouple in the gas burner generates a
steady current to the control board. However, the operation for igniting
the gas burner requires the user to hold the button for a certain period
of time thereby causing much inconvenience in use. Hence, it is proposed
to use a battery to ignite the gas burner in order to eliminate this
drawback, but the service life of the battery is limited and will not be
able to ignite the gas burner in case the battery is flat.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus
for controlling gas supply to gas burners which can obviate and mitigate
the above-mentioned drawbacks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is related to a solenoid valve assembly for controlling gas
supply to a main and an auxiliary burners.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a solenoid
valve assembly for controlling gas supply to a main and an auxiliary
burners which is compact in size.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a solenoid valve
assembly for controlling gas supply to a main and an auxiliary burners
which is simple in construction.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a solenoid
valve assembly for controlling gas supply to a main and an auxiliary
burners which is fit for practical use.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a solenoid
valve assembly for controlling gas supply to a main and an auxiliary
burners which is cheap to manufacture.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a solenoid valve
assembly for controlling gas supply to a main and an auxiliary burners
which is easy to operate.
The foregoing objects and summary provide only a brief introduction to the
present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the
present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will
become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed
description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings
identical reference numberals refer to identical or similar parts.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus for controlling gas supply
according to the present invention;
FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional views showing the working principle of the
solenoid valve when connected with two burners;
FIGS. 4 and 5 are sectional views showing the working principle of the
solenoid valve when connected with a single burner; and
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the apparatus for controlling gas supply.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the
invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the
drawings. Specific language will be used to describe same. It will,
nevertheless, be understood that no limitation of the scope of the
invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications
in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles
of the invention as illustrated herein being contemplated as would
normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.
With reference to FIG. 1, the apparatus for controlling gas supply
according to the present invention generally comprises a battery supply 1,
a control board 2, a pilot seat 3, and a solenoid valve assembly 4.
As shown in FIG. 2, the solenoid valve assembly 4 mainly comprises a lower
cover 41, an upper cover 42 fixedly mounted on the lower cover 41 by
screws (not shown), and a base plate 43 fastened on the bottom of the
lower cover 41. The lower cover 41 is formed with a first chamber 411 at
the left end (with respect to FIG. 2), a second chamber 412 located
adjacent to and communicating with the first chamber 411, a third chamber
413 located adjacent to the second chamber 412, a fourth chamber 414
located adjacent to and communicating with the third chamber 413, and a
fifth chamber 415 located at the right end and communicating with the
fourth chamber 414. The first chamber 411 is a horizontal passage having
an inlet 4111 for connecting a gas supply (not shown) and communicating
with the second chamber 412 which is open at the bottom. The third chamber
413 is a vertical passage which is blind at the top and open at the
bottom. The upper portion of the third chamber 413 communicates with the
fourth chamber 414 which is a horizontal passage. The fourth chamber 414
communicates with the fifth chamber 415 which has a larger diameter than
the fourth chamber 414. The fifth chamber 415 is adapted to be connected
to a main burner 8 (see FIG. 6).
The base plate 43 is fixedly mounted on the bottom of the lower cover 41 by
screws (not shown) or otherwise secured thereto. Between the base plate 43
and the bottom of the lower cover 42 there is mounted a diaphragm 431. A
spring 432 is arranged between the base plate 43 and the diaphragm 431
thereby urging the diaphragm 431 to go upwardly to close the bottom of the
second and third chambers 412 and 413.
The upper cover 42 is formed with a first cavity 421 at the left end (with
respect to FIG. 2), a second cavity 422 at the intermediate portion, and a
third cavity 423 at the right end. The top of the upper cover 41 has a
first passage 44 for connecting the pilot burner 32 and a second passage
45 for connecting a regulator (not shown). The upper end of the second
passage 45 is provided with an adjust screw 451.
The first passage 44 communicates with the upper portion of the first
cavity 421. The first passage 44 is provided with an adjust screw 441 for
controlling the flow rate of the gas to the pilot burner 32. A solenoid
443 is fitted in the upper portion of the first cavity 421. A lever 442 is
pivotally mounted within the first cavity 421 and has a first and second
ends right under the solenoid 443 and the first passage 44 respectively. A
tension spring 444 is connected at the upper end with the first end of the
lever 442 and at the lower end with the lower portion of the first cavity
421 so that the spring 444 tends to pull the first end of the lever 442 to
go downwardly thereby rotating the inlet of the second end of the lever
442 to go upwardly against the first passage 44 and therefore forming a
normal closed pilot valve V1. As the solenoid 443 is induced, the first
end of the lever 442 will be attracted to go upwardly thereby rotating the
second end of the lever 442 to go downwardly and therefore opening the
inlet of the first passage 44. Consequently, only when the solenoid 443 is
activated will the pilot valve V1 be open. The first cavity 421 of the
upper cover 42 communicates with the first chamber 411 of the lower cover
41 via an orifice 4112.
The second passage 45 communicates with the upper portion of the second
cavity 422 of the upper cover 42. The second passage 45 is provided with
an adjust screw 451 at the top for controlling flow rate of the gas to a
regulator (not shown). The second passage 45 has a branch passage 455 in
communication with the fourth chamber 414 of the lower cover 41. The upper
portion of the second cavity 422 communicates with an upper end of a vent
456. The lower end of the vent 456 communicates with the second chamber
412 of the lower cover 41. The second cavity 422 communicates with the
space formed between the base plate 43 and the diaphragm 431. A solenoid
453 is fitted in the upper portion of the second cavity 422. A lever 452
is pivotally mounted within the second cavity 422 and has a first and
second ends right under the upper end of the vent 456 and the inlet of the
second passage 45 respectively. A solenoid 453 is fitted in the upper
portion of the second cavity 422 and above the first end of the lever 452.
A tension spring 454 is connected at the upper end with the first end of
the lever 452 and at the lower end with the lower portion of the second
cavity 422 so that the spring 454 tends to pull the first end of the lever
452 to go downwardly thereby rotating the second end of the lever 452 to
go upwardly against the inlet of the second passage 45 and therefore
forming a main burner valve V2 which is normally open at the right end and
normally closed at the left end. When the solenoid 453 is induced, the
first end of the lever 452 will be attracted to go upwardly thereby
rotating the second end of the lever 452 to go downwardly and therefore
opening the inlet of the second passage 45 and closing the upper end of
the vent 456.
The third cavity 423 of the upper cover 42 communicates with the fourth and
fifth chambers 414 and 415 of the lower cover 41 and has an upwardly
extending through hole 465. The upper end of the upwardly extending
through hole 465 is engaged with a connector which is in turn connected to
an auxiliary burner 80 (see FIG. 6). A solenoid 463 is fitted in the upper
portion of the third cavity 423. A lever 462 is pivotally mounted within
the third cavity 423 and has a first end under the lower end of the
through hole 465 and the solenoid 463. A tension spring 464 is connected
at the upper end with the first end of the lever 462 and at the lower end
with the lower portion of the first cavity 421 so that the spring 464
tends to pull the first end of the lever 442 to go downwardly thereby
opening the through hole 465 and therefore forming a normal open auxiliary
burner valve V3. Hence, only when the solenoid 463 is activated will the
auxiliary burner valve V3 be open.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 6, the battery supply 1 includes a case in which
are fitted dry batteries (not shown) for supplying direct current power to
the control board 2.
The control board 2 includes a pilot and main valve transfer control 21, a
pilot timer control 22, a pilot control circuit 23, a main valve control
circuit 24, a ignitor control circuit 25, an auxiliary timer 26, an
auxiliary valve control circuit 27, an auxiliary valve transfer control 28
and a flame detector circuit 29.
The pilot seat 3 is provided with a thermopile 31, a pilot burner 32, a
spark generator 33 and a detector 34 which are closedly mounted thereon.
The thermopile 32 may be replaced with a thermocouple (not shown) as
required and designed for supplying power to the pilot and main valve
transfer control 21 and the auxiliary transfer control 28. The spark
generator 33 is connected and controlled by the ignitor control circuit
25. The detector 34 is a sensor for detecting the burning condition of the
pilot burner 32 and sending the information to the flame detector circuit
29.
The pilot timer control 22 is preset so that it will let the electric
current from the battery supply 1 flow therethrough for a time period of
20-30 seconds when switched on. The pilot timer control 22 is connected to
the pilot control circuit 23 for controlling the electric current supplied
to the pilot valve V1 from the battery supply 1. The pilot valve V1 has an
inlet 4111 connected to a gas supply and an outlet 44 to the pilot burner
32 and is controlled by the pilot control circuit 23 so that when the
pilot timer control 22 is switched on, the pilot valve V1 will be turned
open letting the gas pass through the first passage 44 of the upper cover
42 to the pilot burner 32. In the meantime, the pilot timer control 22
will drive the ignitor control circuit 25 to trigger the spark generator
33 to ignite the pilot burner 32. The detector 34 is a sensor mounted
close to the pilot burner 32 for detecting the burning condition of the
pilot burner 32. If the pilot fire of the pilot burner 32 is steady, the
detector 34 will send out a signal to the flame detector circuit 29 which
will in turn make the ignitor control circuit 25 to cease producing sparks
via the spark generator 33 and at the same time trigger the main valve
control circuit 24 to open the main burner valve V2 to let the gas pass
through the first chamber 411, the second chamber 412, the third chamber
413, the fourth chamber 414 and the fifth chamber 415 to the main burner 8
and the third cavity 423 the through hole 465 to the auxiliary burner 80
along the path shown by arrows in FIG. 3. If the main burner valve V2 is
kept closed, the gas pressure above the diaphragm 431 will be just equal
to that below the diaphragm 431 thereby cutting off the gas supply to the
burners (see FIG. 2). However, if the pilot fire is not yet steady, the
detector 34 will send a signal to the flame detector circuit 29 to make
the ignitor control circuit 25 continue to produce sparks through the
spark generator 33. As the main burner valve V2 is normally closed, no gas
will flow therethrough to the main burner 8 thereby preventing gas leakage
and possible accident. The battery supply 1 is also connected with the
pilot and main valve transfer control 21 and the auxiliary timer 26. The
auxiliary timer 26 is connected to the auxiliary control circuit 27 which
is in turn connected to the auxiliary valve transfer control 28. The
auxiliary valve transfer control 28 is connected to the thermopile 31 and
the auxiliary burner valve V3. As the auxiliary timer 26 is turned on, the
electric current from the battery supply 1 will flow through the auxiliary
timer 26 to the auxiliary valve control circuit 27 which will cause the
auxiliary valve transfer control 28 to open the auxiliary burner valve V3
thereby enabling the gas to flow to the auxiliary burner 80. The auxiliary
timer 26 is preset so that it will let the electric current from the
battery supply 1 flow therethrough for 1-2 seconds when switched on. The
thermopile 31 is mounted on the pilot seat 2 and arranged close to the
pilot burner 32. When the main burner 8 burns, the thermopile 31 will
generate electric current and supply electric power to the pilot and main
valve transfer control 21 and the auxiliary valve transfer control 28
thereby making the pilot and main transfer control 21 to cut off the
battery supply 1 to the control board 2 and making the auxiliary valve
transfer control 28 to keep the auxiliary burner valve V3 open. As a
result, when the main burner 8 burns for a certain predetermined period of
time, the battery supply 1 will be cut off from the control board 2 and
the power required for the operation of the apparatus will be supplied by
the thermopile 31 instead of the battery supply 1.
When there is only one burner, it is only necessary to close the outlet of
the through hole 465 with a plug 51 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). Further, when
desired to reduce the flow rate of the single burner, simply engage a
nozzle 6 with the outlet of the fourth chamber 414 of the lower cover 41
as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or
more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods
differing from the type described above.
While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and
described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to
be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various
omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and
details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by
those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of
the present invention.
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of
the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge,
readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that,
from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential
characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.
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